Police worried over drugs, arms smuggling from India

The Bangladesh Police has expressed its concerns to a visiting team of the Indian National Investigation Agencies over drugs and small arms being smuggled into the country from India.

"They (India) are anxious about fake currency (entering India) and we are equally concerned about drugs and small arms being smuggled into our country," Mukhlesur Rahman, an additional inspector general of police, told reporters at the press briefing yesterday.

The briefing was held at the Police Headquarters following the second day of the two-day meeting of a joint taskforce of the Bangladesh Police and its Indian counterpart formed to battle circulation of fake notes in the countries. 

Indian authorities are facing problems as a huge number of fake rupees are being smuggled into the country through its borders with different countries including Bangladesh.

Only customs intelligence of Bangladesh seized over 30 crore of fake Indian rupees, mostly arriving from Pakistan, at different airports in the last two years. The currencies were to be smuggled into India, said Dr Moinul Khan, director general of the force.

Inspector General SK Sinha led the visiting 15-member NIA team. A memorandum was also signed to curb the smuggling fake currency during the meeting. 

The taskforce will meet twice a year over the issue.